Substance Use Disorders

Components of a Relapse Prevention Agreement

A Relapse Prevention Agreement may include:

• Total abstinence from all abused substances including alcohol;
• Total abstinence from tobacco may improve other substnace-related outcomes;
• Attendance at counseling with a substance use disorder clinician;
• Reporting arrangements to the police physician;
• Regular attendance at support programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Al-Anon, or Rational Recovery;
• Compliance with treatment for medical or psychiatric co-morbidity;
• Attendance at regularly scheduled monitoring visits, which may include scheduled face-to-face visits with a clinician to provide support, screening for impending relapse, and reviewing compliance with treatment;
• Participation in agency-mandated substance testing to verify abstinence; and
• Acknowledgement of consequences of non-adherence.

See Appendix H for a sample Relapse Prevention Agreement.